While grueling desert rallies have typically been home to modified Pajeros, Mitsubishi revealed it will bring a custom-built Lancer, the MRX09, to the 2009 Dakar rally.

Designed for the FIA's T1 class, the Lancer MRX09 shares little (if anything) with the production car. Although Mitsubishi released only a sketch today, the MRX09 seems to resemble the outgoing Pajero Evolution more than an actual production Lancer. The two-passenger off-road vehicle has a long hood, a set-back cabin, and a cleft rear tail - styling cues also shared with the Pajero Evo.

The specifications seem to confirm that resemblance. The MRX09 measures 176 inches in length, rides on a 117-inch wheelbase, and weighs in at 4387 pounds. In comparison, the 2008 Pajero Evolution was 165 inches long, used a 110-inch wheelbase, and weighed 4023 lbs.

The Lancer MRX09 will also make use of a 3.0-liter turbo-diesel V-6, which will reportedly deliver more than 260 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. Power is sent through a Ricardo-sourced sequential five-speed manual, and is then channeled through a permanent four-wheel-drive system, reportedly similar to the production car.

Look for the MRX09 to blitz its way between Argentina and Chile when the 2009 Dakar Rally begins in January 2009.

Nearly a half-year after launching the oil-burning versions of the Legacy and Outback at the 2008 Geneva motor show, Subaru's announced it will introduce diesel-powered Impreza and Forester 2.0D models at the 2008 Paris motor show.Like the Legacy and Outback diesels, the new Impreza and Forester mod

As if to rub our noses in what we’re not getting, Ford said today that British customers are swooning over the 2009 Ford Focus RS.The Europe-only pocket rocket does not come out until early next year, but that has not stopped 1,000 Britons from placing their orders.

With the arrival of the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, the first diesel car that meets the 2009 diesel emission standards in all fifty states, VW is enlisting diesel enthusiasts to spread the word for its new vehicle.Despite the prevalence of diesel cars in Europe, the American market has remained skept

Beginning in 2009, the Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Avenger, and Dodge Caliber will no longer be offered with all-wheel-drive.Though all three models were offered with either front- or all-wheel-drive from their inception, the option never resonated with consumers.; Jiyan Cadiz, a spokesman for Chrysler

Though it faced some stiff competition, the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI was named as Green Car' Journal's 2009 Green Car of the Year.Hybrids have dominated this honor for the last several years, making this award a sort of vindication for the car's designers and proponents of clean diesel technology.

November 21, 2008

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